As a mechanism that protects new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity, the USPTO is at the cutting edge of the nation's technological progress and achievement.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO fulfills the mandate of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution that the legislative branch "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." The USPTO registers trademarks based on the commerce clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the nation's technological progress and achievement.
The USPTO advises the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and U.S. government agencies on intellectual property (IP) policy, protection, and enforcement; and promotes the stronger and more effective IP protection around the world. The USPTO furthers effective IP protection for U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide by working with other agencies to secure strong IP provisions in free trade and other international agreements. It also provides training, education, and capacity building programs designed to foster respect for IP and encourage the development of strong IP enforcement regimes by U.S. trading partners.
Learn more about the men and women who lead the USPTO.
Learn more about the directors of our regional offices.
The various offices within the USPTO serve specific functions, both to the general public and the organization itself.
The USPTO has multiple offices located throughout the United States. Our headquarters is in Alexandria, Virginia.
Discover the rich history of the USPTO through the biographies of the people who have led the agency since 1802.
The Office of the Under Secretary (OUS) promotes the mission and strategic goals of the agency.
Upcoming events
News & Updates
USPTO announces Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program in support of CHIPS for America Program
WASHINGTON—To encourage research, development, and innovation in semiconductor manufacturing, the Commerce Department’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is announcing a new Semiconductor Technology Pilot Program developed to support the CHIPS for America program. “The CHIPS and Science Act...
Coming soon: USPTO’s new modernized assignment system is replacing ETAS and EPAS
As part of our updates to online services, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is reforming the Electronic Trademark Assignment System (ETAS) and the Electronic Patent Assignment System (EPAS) into one cohesive and modernized system: the Intellectual Property Assignment System (IPAS). IPAS...
Diagnosing COVID-19: A perspective from U.S. patenting activity
The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Office of the Chief Economist released a report revealing that small companies and universities led the way in developing inventions to diagnose COVID-19, as evidenced by patent applications filed at the USPTO through April 2023. The U.S...
USPTO issues milestone 1 millionth design patent
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today officially issued U.S. design patent 1 million , an important milestone in American innovation and creativity. Granted to Agustina Huckaby of Fort Worth, Texas, design patent 1 million is for the ornamental design for a dispensing comb...
Introducing the USPTO’s new cloud-based trademark search system with basic and advanced search options
As we recently noted , we are improving our search tools frequently used by patent and trademark filers and web visitors to provide a more multi-faceted, reliable search experience. To that end, we are excited to announce the launch of the beta version of our new trademark search system . This new...
Announcing improved search tools to strengthen USPTO service to America’s innovators
As part of our ongoing efforts to modernize and streamline our systems, we are working closely with patent and trademark filers and website visitors to gather feedback and implement upgrades to several of our search tools to make it easier for our customers to find what they’re looking for in a...
USPTO extends Director Review (DR) option to institution decisions, retires the Precedential Opinion Panel (POP), and updates interim DR procedures
Beginning July 24, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has updated our procedures for the interim Director Review (DR) of Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions. Updates to the interim DR process include: Expanding the process to permit parties to request DR of PTAB...
Updated Trademark Datasets now available
The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Office of the Chief Economist released the 2022 updates to its Trademark Case Files Dataset and Trademark Assignment Dataset . The Trademark Case Files Dataset contains detailed information on 12.1 million trademark applications filed with or...
Volunteer to improve the USPTO website experience
As part of our efforts to continuously improve the customer experience on our website, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is asking for feedback from our customers to enhance and modernize our digital spaces. Sign up to volunteer to participate in future research . Volunteers may...
Reminder: USPTO transitioning to electronic patent grants occurring April 18
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced earlier this year in a press release that we are implementing electronic patent issuance in the form of electronic patent grants (eGrants). This new method helps inventors access their newly-granted patents the same day we publicly issue them via Patent...